John i



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (No Model.)

J. I. TAY. Stairway-Elevator.

Patented May 11, 1880.

171v evftor "wiime'sse'a N. PEYERS. FHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER, WASHINGTON- D C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

J. I. TA'Y. Stairway-Elevator.

No...227,459. Patented May". 1880.

Witnesses 'Invewbor Y fig N-PEIERS, FHOTO-UYNQGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C

UNITED STATES PATENT OF IQE.

JOHN I. TAY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

ST'AI RWAY-ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1 \To. 227,459, dated May11, 1880.

Application filed March 11,1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN I. TAY, of Oakland,county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented aStairway-Elevator; and Ihereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a means by which persons mayreadily ascend or descend from one story of a houseto an other withslight exertion of muscular power and without the use of steps or stairsor elevators worked by air, steam, or water.

. It consists in placing at one side of the staircase, in convenientposition, a small tramway, upon which travels a light peculiarlyconstructed car, so arranged and connected by cords with weights that aperson stepping upon the car may, by turning hand-wheels atlittleexpenditure of power, propel the car up or down, as the case may be. 7

Suitable arrangements are made for properly counterbalancing the car,for drawing it either up or down empty to the position of the persondesiring to use it, and for the applica-' tion of a brake for theprevention of accidents.

It furtherconsists of certain details of construction, as is more fullydescribed in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is alongitudinal vertical section of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front View.Fig. 3 shows the hoisting apparatus. Fig. 4 is a modification.

Let A represent an ordinary flight of steps, such as are used indwellings; and B, the rails or tramway, placed at one side of thestairway, and having a landing at the upper platform, as shown. Thistramway may be made in any desired manner, and may be ornamental inform, but so arranged that a weight on rollers may slide up and downbetween the rails and pass the car, as hereinafter described.-

The rails may be covered with gutta-percha, if desired, to insurenoiselessness, and to give the rollers a gripe, so the hand wheel couldcontrol them in case the rope should break.

The car 0 runs on four rollers or wheels, 0, the lower pair of which arelarger than the upper, to account for the angle on which it runs. Thecar itself is made preferably in three steps, across the center of oneof which is a band, 0, connecting with the axle of the large hand-=wheels D, as shown. These hand wheels D have friction -rollers 61 uponthem, and when the band 0 is depressed by the person stepping upon itthese friction-rollers d are brought down in contact with the edges ofthe wheels 0,- then by rotating the hand-wheels motion is imparted byfriction to the rollers or wheels 0 to move the car up or down.

The rollers c d may, if desired, be geared together; but I prefer tooperate them as friction-rollers, as described.

The band a connects with the center step, on which the person stands,and the additional weight of the person on this band brings thefriction-wheels 01 down upon the rollers 0, so that said rollers c atwill be in close contact. The car itself, when of metal, would springenough to let the rollers a (1 come in contact. If of wood, however,boxes with rollers in them could be made for the axles of thehand-wheels D, so the weight of the person standing on the band wouldbring them down to accomplish the same object.

The car is counterbalanced by a weight, E, and cord 6, this weightaccounting for the car when loaded. The cord passes over afriction-roller, F, at the top of the staircase, then through an eye orsheave, g, in the weighted brake-block G, and then over the large pulleyH. On the same shaft as this large pulley H is a smaller pulley, H, onwhich is the cord 0, carrying the weight, as shown.

The weight g on the brake-block has a slot and screw, so as to beadjustable to or from the pivot of said block, in order that thepressure of the brake on the pulleys H H may be in accordance with theloads to be carried. It may be set to exert any desired pressure, andonce set need not be moved again. It may be adjusted so that the weightof a grown person will operate the brake, but that of a child will not.A child could not therefore use the car, since it could not overcome thefriction of 5 the brake.

The eyebolts g may be arranged to bemoved back and forth on thebrake-block G, and would accomplish the same object in adjusting thebrake, since the ropes or cords pass through these eyebolts, asdescribed.

The brake-block G is hung on a pivot, and

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is weighted, so as to be always in contact with the pulleys H H, exceptwhen raised by the lever I and cord 2', this cord leading through eyesto the foot of the staircase and along the line of track, so it may begrasped at any time by the occupant of the car.

The cord 6 connects the car and pulley H by passing through the sheavein theeye g in the brake. When a strain is put on the cord it lifts thebrake from the pulley and allows the car to move in either direction.If, however, it moves too fast, by drawing on the cord t the lever Ithrows the brake on again. In this way the speed of descent may begraduated to a nicety. The speed can also be regulated by thehand-wheels, the car being counterbalanced, as described. Even if thecord should break, the movement of the car could be controlled by thehand-wheels.

The pulley H, carrying the cord and weight, is smaller than the pulleyH, on which is wound the cord connecting with the car. The weight isheavy enough to counterbalance the car, and at the same time allow agreater length of travel to the car than to the weight.

At the foot of the stairs are pulleys J J, around which passes anendless rope,j. On the shaft of the upper roller isacord, K, which leadsover the friction-roller at the top of the stairs, and has its endattached in an eye in the brakeblock, so as to trip said brake when astrain is brought on the line. A small weight, K, is intended for takingup the slack of this cord K at all times, and is put on a cord on asmaller pulley on the same shaft which carries the pulley for said ropeor cord K.

In case the car should be at the top of the stairs and he wanted below,the person wanting it rotates the rollers J J by the endless ropej. Thiswinds up the rope K, lifting the brake and the weight E, and the carcomes down to the bottom. If the car is at the bottom and the person atthe top, he lifts the brake-block by depressing the brake-lever by meansof its-rod I. By pushing down on this rod 1 the brake is released fromthe pulleys H H, and the weight-,being up, begins to descend and drawsthe car up.

In connection with this device I employ a water-tank, N, placed at thetop of the stairs, provided with a ball-valve connected with asupply-pipe. An exit-pipe, a, has a sliding or telescopic extension, n,which is connected in any suitable manner with a cock to let the waterflow from the tank when the extension n is slid up the pipe or bycontact with the weight.

The weight may be made hollow, and as it nnes to the top and comes incontact with the extension a, water flows from the tank into the hollowweight. This gives an excess of weight, which will draw the car upwithout even moving the hand-rollers. All the person then has to do isto draw on the cord regulatin g the brakelever and brake, and thewaterfilled weight will draw the car up.

When the weight reaches its lowest point after drawing the car up, avalve in the bottom discharges the water. This will only be used inthose cases where one desires to come upstairs in the car withoutexercising any exertion at all on the hand-wheel.

This arrangement, as described, is particularly adapted to such stairsas are winding 5 but for straight staircases a more simple arrangementis used, as shown in Fig. 4. In this. the car-track, 850., are the same,but a different weight is proi ided. This weight L has four rollers androlls up and down between the rails. A cord, 0, attached to it, passesunder the roller F at the top of the flight, and, being carried over, issecured to the car. The end is not attached direct to theweight-carriage L, but to ,an adjustable cam or pawl, M, which is sobalanced-as to engage with the ratchet or slots in between the rails,except when the strain on the cord 0 keeps it straight. This weightcounterbalanees the loaded car.

When the car comes up steadily and a steady strain is kept on the cordthe weight will move smoothly down without the pawl or cam catching inthe slots. Any irregularity of movement, however, will cause the pawl toengage and the car to stop. As the operator in the car can control themovement of said car he can cause the cam or pawl to engage at any timeand stop the car.

The adj ustability of the pawl is accomplished by the holes m m, ofwhich there are several. When the cord is fastened in the outer one thepawl is easily lifted by a slight weight or strain on the cord. When thecord is fastened nearerthe pivot of the pawl the pawl is not so easilylifted, a greater weight being necessary to bring it in line with itsrolling weight and keep it out of engagement with the slots. This pawlis thus adjustable to the weight to be carried.

The pawl is adjusted to the weight which the car is required to carry,the car itself not being of sufficient weight to raise the pawl. Whenset for any specified weight the pawl will not rise unless this weightcomes in the car. Therefore, when adjusted for grown persons, childrencould not move the car, since the pawl would not be lifted out of theslot, and the car would not be counterbalanced if moved up when the.weight was held by the pawl being in a slot.

The cord K, connected with the endless rope j, can be used with thisrolling weight by being taken over the friction-roller at the top of thestairs and hooked onto the adjustable cam or pawl. Then the pawl can belifted so the weight will befree to slide. In this way the car can beeither drawn up or down to the position of the person requiring its use.

I make my car in three steps, because it is l the most natural way touse it. The person steps upon the lower step and then onto the secondone, where he stands while the car is in motion. On arriving at the tophe steps onto the upper step, and is then on a level with the landing.Whilestandin g on the center step he is in proper position to work thehand-wheels readily.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isv 1. An apparatus for ascending anddescending stairways, consisting of the inclined-tramway B, with the car0, said car, when loaded, being counterbalanced by weights and cords,and adaptedto be moved on the tramway by means of hand-wheels,substantially as and for thepurpose herein described.

2. The car 0, in two or more steps, provided with wheels or rollers c,and handwheels D, having friction-rollers d, in combination with thecounterbalance-weight E and cord 6, said cord being led through the eyes9 in the weighted brake-block G, whereby the car may be moved up or downwith slight exertion, and the strain on the cord 6 lifts the brake-blockfrom the pulleys H H, substantially as and for the purpose hereindescribed.

3. In combination with the car 0, provided with the rollers or wheels 0,the band 0, carryin g the hand-wheels D, with their rollers 01, wherebythe action of stepping on the car brings the hand-wheels and rollers incontact so the car may be moved, substantially as and for the purposeherein described.

4. In combination with the car 0 and weight E, connected by the cord 6,the adjustable brake-block G, with its sheave g, and the pulleys H H,whereby the brake is automatically removed from the pulleys when aweight is put on the car and strain brought on the cord 0, substantiallyas and for the purpose herein described. I

5. In combination with the car 0 and weight E, connected by the cords e6, leading through the eyes g to the pulleys H H, the adjustablebrake-block G, provided with thelever I, rod I, and cord 01, whereby thebrake is brought into action and the motion of the car regulated,substantially as herein described.

6. In combination with the brake-block G,

provided with the sheaves g, through which pass the cords 22 K, theadjustable weight g, whereby the brake may be set to exert any desiredpressure, substantially as herein described.

7. In combination with the weight E, brakeblock G, with its levers, andthe car 0, said car being connected with the weight by the cord 6,leading to the pulleys H H, through the brake-block sheave g, the cordK, pulleys J J, and rope j. with the take-up weight K, whereby thebrake-block may be lifted-from the pulleys and the car brought up ordown to the person needing it, substantially as herein described.

8. In combination with the hollow weight E, provided with a valve andadapted to draw a car up an incline, as described, the watertank N, withits exit-pipe a and telescopic extension n, controlling the cock,whereby additional weight may be automatically supplied to thecounterbalancin'g-weight to draw up the car without muscular exertion,substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

9. In combination with the car 0, adapted to move on an inclined tramwayand provided with hand-wheels D and friction-rollers c d, the rollingcounterbalance-weight L, provided with wheels, connecting-cord e, and anadjustable pawl, M, arranged to engage with the slots m between therails, substantially as and for the purpose herein described/ 10. Incombination with the rolling coun terbalance-weight L, connected by therope c with the car 0, adapted to move on an inclined tramway, the pawlor cam M, adapted to engage with the slots m, and providedwith the.holes m m, whereby the pawl is adjusted to the weight to be carried,substantially as here- 'in described.

11. In combination with the weight L, connected with the car 0 of aninclined tramway by the ropee, said weight being provided with anadjustable cam, M, with its holes on m, and adapted to engage with theslots m, the cord K, pulleys J J, endless rope j, and takeup weight K,whereby the pawl is controlled independent of the car, so as to bringthe car to the position required, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN I. TAY.

Witnesses CHAS. G. YALE, S. H. NOURSE.

